A colorful collection of verse and prose, Eyes Blue, or Random Meanderings of a Manic Depressive takes the reader on a heartfelt and introspective journey. The overriding message of these pieces is quite simple - acceptance is the way to inner peace. Author Alan Reed, who is afflicted with manic depressive syndrome, acknowledges and embraces his illness, not as a liability but as an opportunity to create something unique, poignant and beautiful. As a result, he has captured rare and wondrous ideas, thoughts and concepts in a manner never before associated with this particular mental illness. Alan Reed is a retired U.S. diplomat who grew-up in White Salmon, Washington. At the age of 15, he moved to Vancouver, Washington where he attended high school, was student body president, part of the National Honor Society, and an all-star baseball player. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and lived there for ten years before entering the Peace Corps in 1978. He became a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in 1990 and served at U.S. embassies in Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Egypt, Bangladesh, Paraguay, and Brazil. Mr. Reed currently lives in Grand Prairie, Texas, and is working on another collection of short stories and poems, Eyes Blue 2. Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/AlanReed